Writer of the “Very Serious” newsletter Josh Barro said Tuesday on CNN that former Speaker Kevin McCarthy didn’t make one glaring move that could have possibly changed his political fortune.
Speaker of the House Mike Johnson endorsed former President Donald Trump, declaring recently on CNBC that Trump has his full support just as he did when he was president.
CNN’s Poppy Harlow asked Barro what the “significance” of the endorsement was and whether Trump needed Johnson’s public support.
“It was always a little bit weird that Kevin McCarthy hadn’t endorsed him. I didn’t fully understand why. There was some reporting about that Kevin McCarthy felt that there was some donors to House Republicans who didn’t like Trump and [they could] actually raise more money for House Republicans if he didn’t endorse him. The party and the whole broad apparatus is obviously in for Trump so it might as well be out there on the table. (RELATED: ‘What Are You Waiting For?’: ‘Meet The Press’ Host Presses Kevin McCarthy On Why He Has Not Endorsed Trump)
Johnson served on Trump’s impeachment defense team and was also involved in the legal challenge mounted against the results of the 2020 election.
Prior to being ousted as Speaker, McCarthy said there was a “very good chance” he would endorse Trump and that he believed Trump would be the nominee but that he was too busy with the border crisis, war in the Middle East and other things to give out endorsements.